0

It’s been a long wait for their fans but Tony the Tiger, Kimani the lion and the rest of the big cat crew at the San Francisco Zoo will be back on display Thursday.

Even Padang, the 18-year-old Sumatran tiger who is the oldest of the zoo’s big cats, will get her turn in the renovated outdoor grottoes. Padang has been in a separate exhibit while she recovered from hip surgery.

The big cats were stuck indoors after Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, escaped from her grotto on Christmas Day and fatally mauled Carlos Sousa Jr. and injured Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal, all of San Jose.

After $1.7 million in safety upgrades to the grottoes and a successful re-introduction of the animals to their modified outdoor playgrounds, a zoo official said the big cats will be back onpublic display Thursday rain or shine, beginning at 10 a.m.

During the re-acclimation period, “One of them, I believe it was George the tiger, went outside and came right back in,” said Paul Garcia, zoo spokesman. “He could care less the outdoor exhibit is open.”

Zoo keepers worked hard to challenge the four lions and four tigers mentally and physically while they were confined inside. They got new toys – from treats hidden in paper bags to large plastic garbage cans to chew on – and had their digs spiced up with such delectable smells as Rhino urine and cheap perfume.

A wonderful way to support the cats at no cost to you is to go to your Amazon.com account and sign up for Amazon Smile to have .5% of your purchases donated to Big Cat Rescue.

Cat Quiz

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below. This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Big Cat Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, FEID 59-3330495. Florida law requires that all charities soliciting donations disclose their registration number and the percentage of your donation that goes to the cause and the amount that goes to the solicitor. We do not utilize professional solicitors, so 0% of your donation goes to a professional solicitor, 100% goes to Big Cat Rescue. Non-program expenses are funded from tour income, so 100% of your donations go to supporting the cats and stopping the abuse.A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR BIG CAT RESCUE, A FL-BASED NONPROFIT CORPORATION (REGISTRATION NO. CH 11409), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR BY VISITING www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.